The invention relates to a wiper blade having a wiper strip that is held by a support bracket system and encompassed by a laterally closed protective profile.
Known wipers have a wiper arm, which is comprised of a fastening part that is attached to a drive axle, a hinge part connected to it via a toggle joint, and a wiper rod rigidly connected to the hinge part. The wiper also has a wiper blade with a support bracket system and a wiper strip supported by this support bracket system. The wiper blade is attached to the wiper arm by virtue of the fact that a hook-shaped end of the wiper rod engages between two side walls of the support bracket system and encloses a hinge pin. The resulting hinge guides the wiper blade with the wiper strip over a motor vehicle window, wherein the hinge part and the support bracket system make it possible for the wiper strip to adapt to a curvature of the motor vehicle window. A required pressure of the wiper strip against the motor vehicle window is achieved with at least one tension spring which braces the fastening part and the hinge part together with the wiper rod by means of the toggle joint.
The wiper strip is comprised of an elastomer, e.g. a natural or synthetic rubber, or of ethylene propylene. It has a top strip which is connected via a tilting rib to a wiper lip that rests against the window to be wiped. By means of the tilting rib, the wiper lip can turn over into the opposite direction at a reversal point of the wiping direction, so that it always assumes a favorable angle in relation to the windshield. When the wiper is actuated, the wiper strip sweeps with the wiper lip across the motor vehicle window, wherein the wiper lip gets worn down by friction between itself and the windshield. In addition, environmental influences act on the wiper strip, e.g. temperature fluctuations, UV radiation, salt water, exhaust, etc., which can lead to a premature aging of the material and to an increased wear.
A known strategy for assuring that the wiper strip is in perfect condition when a new motor vehicle is delivered is to cover the wiper strip with a protective profile before the vehicle is conserved. The protective profile is only removed when the new motor vehicle is transferred to a buyer after a final conservation. However, if the windshield becomes soiled or the visibility is hindered by rain during temporary storage of the motor vehicle or during conservation, the windshield cannot be cleaned with the wiper system of the motor vehicle for purposes of maneuvering the vehicle. The protective profile is rigid, hard, and rests only partially against the windshield.
DE 30 05 965 A1 has proposed fastening the longitudinal edge of a flexible band to the side of the protective profile oriented toward the windshield. The protective profile is comprised of hard PVC and the band is comprised of soft PVC. If the wiper is actuated, the band is tilted over, more or less over the length of the wiper blade, and is therefore in a position to adapt to the curvature of the windshield within certain limits. The band functions as a wiper lip, as a result of which the wiper system can be used to clean the windshield during maneuvers without wearing down the actual wiper strip of the wiper blade.
In order to fasten the protective profile to the wiper blade in captive fashion and to protect the wiper strip laterally from environmental influences, another known method is to weld the protective profile shut laterally. To this end, the protective profile is heated at the lateral end faces and is pressed against a plate. This produces a material plate which closes the protective profile. Only one end face can be welded shut before installation. If the second end face is welded shut after the protective profile is slid onto the wiper strip, the protective profile must be cut off in order to be removed.
According to the invention, a protective profile is closed in the longitudinal direction with a cover on at least one end, which can be used to advantageously open and close the protective profile a number of times for installation and removal. The cover can be slid onto the protective profile and can be fastened to the protective profile by means of a detachable frictionally and/or positively engaging connection. In addition, the cover can be connected to the protective profile in captive fashion and can be fixed in a closed position and/or an open position by means of detent means, for example in a cover, which is connected to the protective profile in captive fashion via a hinge, by means of a rotating motion, or in a cover which is connected to the protective profile via a strip, by means of a straight linear motion, etc.
With the cover according to the invention, the installation and removal are simple and inexpensive. The protective profile can advantageously be closed at both ends without the protective profile having to be destroyed when it is removed. The protective profile can be reused after removal. The cover can be combined with other closures, for example with a welded end, but it is advantageous to close the protective profile with two covers. In one embodiment, the proposal is made to close the protective profile with two covers, which rest against the wiper strip. The protective profile is protected at both ends from environmental influences, is fastened to the wiper strip in captive fashion, and is fixed in both longitudinal directions so that during operation of the wiper, friction and wear between the protective strip and the wiper strip are prevented.
With a cover which has two closing surfaces and a symmetry axis lateral to the longitudinal direction, there are at least two possibilities for installation of the cover, namely rotated by 180xc2x0 from each other around the symmetry axis. The installation is simplified and the second closing surface can advantageously be used as a grip during removal.
In another embodiment, the proposal is made that the protective profile be closed in the longitudinal direction on at least one end by means of a projection that is directed inward, lateral to the longitudinal direction. The projection can be simply and rapidly produced, for example when the profiles are metal, with a kind of pliers and when the profiles are plastic, with a heat source, and in a particularly advantageous manner, with an ultrasonic source. A protective profile, which has a gap between a second side wall and the projection formed into a first side wallxe2x80x94which gap can be used to guide the wiper strip with a wiper lip during installation and removal, can already be closed by means of two projections at each end when it is manufactured. Assembly steps in the wiper for closing the protective profile are eliminated, the installation time is reduced, and the installation is simplified and cheaper. Additional components, such as covers are eliminated. Furthermore, a protective profile that is closed at both ends can be removed without being destroyed. The protective profile can be reused a number of times, which is good for the environment and reduces the amount of energy consumed, e.g. for recycling.
In order to be able to slide the protective profile onto the wiper strip more easily during installation, in the longitudinal direction toward the end face, the projection has an inwardly inclined bevel which deflects the wiper lip of the wiper strip toward the gap during installation. In the longitudinal direction, the projection has a second, outwardly inclined, advantageously steeper bevel which facilitates a reliable securing of the protective profile to the wiper strip during operation of the wiper and facilitates a damage-free removal by deflecting the wiper lip of the wiper strip into the gap.
The closure with a projection can be combined with other closures, for example a cover or a welded-shut end face. However, it is advantageous to close the protective profile with a projection at both ends. In order to fix the protective profile in both longitudinal directions, the distance between the projections is advantageously equal to the length of the wiper strip. Friction and wear are prevented between the protective strip and the wiper strip.